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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

A strategic board game that has been around since 1957, and which has been revamped many times over the years, including an online version available to play at pogo.com, is now being published yet again but with a new twist that has caused some controversy. Risk Legacy is planned to have a permanancy factor whereby some cards will be void for successive games and stickers will be included that are meant to be afixed to territories on the board, thus changing future games being played. There will also be sealed packets with the game that are opened from time to time during one successive game or another. From boardgamegeek.com (as per the publisher) -

How will you shape your world? / In Risk Legacy, every game you play will change every future game. A decision you make in Game 1 could come back to haunt you in Game 10. The risks you take in Risk Legacy are not like those in any other board game. You and the other players will shape how your world evolves: its history, its cities, even its factions and how they fight. Cards and stickers will come into play. Cards will go out of play forever. You don't forget past betrayals – and neither does the game. / Unlock new rules and watch events unfold as you play more games. No two games will EVER be the same. / Play your game. Write your history

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One of the designers, Rob Daviau, of the game has this to say about the sealed packets -

They are the other new twist on the game. This is actually a game with spoilers. Actual things that will make you think on your feet. / We’re going to ask reviewers not to talk about the hidden contents. I guess I’m asking all of you to be careful with this as well. Some are small things. Some bigger. Will the game work if you know everything that is going to happen? Yes. You can certainly go back and watch The Sixth Sense again. But that first time you saw it? That was special. / So if you are a person that really likes game with complete information? Read the spoilers. / Those of you who like your games a little bit more white knuckled and adventuresome? Avoid spoilers.

It all sounds like making a much larger campaign game from a single already replayable game. I look forward to seeing more after its release later this year.